City of Steam (Blackburn Chronicles)

by Dominic K Alexander

  "I can't believe there is a passage leading so close to the palace and it is sitting here where anyone could stumble onto it." Mac said shaking her head.

  "Actually, there are usually a dozen guards protecting this place. No one ventures here anymore. The few that have come close were killed. It just so happens someone let out a rumor that you were spotted not far from here and the guards were to leave post to capture you." Walter once again lifted the side of his mouth into his cocky smile.

  "You are a devious man, Walter." Mac said and started heading towards the forests edge.

  "Mac!” Walter yelled to her. She turned noticing he wasn't following her. "Your village is quite the distance east of here. You need to step quietly and use caution as you go. Avoid anyone you come across and trust no one. I need to get back and continue my search for you."

  "Well, try not to search to hard, will ya’?” Mac said smiling under the mask. "And Walter, thank you." She waved and turned back disappearing into the forest. Walter watched her go knowing in his heart she was going to bring more trouble than it would be worth. He shook his head and headed back into the Underbelly.

  14.

  The dense forest shielded the sun from shining down on Mac as she moved quietly through the trees. A small compass in one of the many pockets she had allowed her to maintain her direction, but as the morning gave way to evening, and the evening began to give way to night, she knew she was probably going to be spending at least one more day out in the forest on her own.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she went and she felt as if she were not alone. With every turn or movement, she could feel eyes watching her and she waited for someone to jump out and attack. Her hand rested on the butt of her pistol and her movements slowed as she went. More than an hour passed and no one attacked, but the feeling was still there. Then, a familiar smell hit her. The stagnant musty rancid smell of the bog told her she was making progress. Several more minutes passed and she found herself on the bogs edge.

  Looking down at the map she realized the choice was not good no matter what she did. If she decided to go around the bog, it would take her several more hours. If she decided to go through the bog, there was something in there that could make her into paste. She stared into the blackness of the bog, removed her mask and tried to see without the help of gadgetry. Something seemed to shift slowly in the distance, but she couldn't make out what it was.

  "I'd go around if I were you." A familiar voice said from behind her. Mac dropped her mask and pointed her pistols in the direction of the voice faster than even she thought possible. Her heart pounded as she stared into the face of Devin who leaned calmly against a tree and bit into an apple. He smiled at Mac's reaction to him.

  "Why are you following me?" Mac asked cautiously still pointing her guns at him.

  "If you must know, I wasn't following you. I was following an assassin who seemed to lose his way and found what little bit of land I claimed for my own. I was watching and waiting to see what the poor fool was going to do when low and behold he removed his mask only to reveal the pretty little thing before me." He took another bite of the apple looking amused.

  "I've felt you watching me for hours and what little land you claim to have is not large enough that it would take me hours to cross. So, I ask again, why are you following me?"

  "Can't a guy walk a girl home to make sure she is safe?" He said with a smile.

  "And I suppose you are expecting a goodnight kiss before you allow me to go safely to my home." Mac didn't lower the pistols.

  "Well, if you're offering." He said with a shrug.

  "I'm not. And you can't meet my parents either."

  "I think we both know that is impossible anyway, don't we?"

  "Don't think you know anything about me or the losses I have endured in my life!” Mac yelled before holstering her pistols, grabbing her mask, and starting to head off back into the forest.

  "You really have no idea who you are or what you are doing here, do you?"

  "I know exactly who I am!" Mac spun back to him glaring.

  "All right, if that's true then you can indulge me for a moment." He stood up straight and threw the rest of his apple on the ground at her feet. "Now, I want you to use your magic to throw that apple at me. It should be simple."

  "I don't have any magic." Mac thought about all the strange things the doctor’s potion allowed her to do, but throwing things was not one of them.

  "See. You have no idea who you, or your family for that matter, are." A smug look came to Devin's face.

  "If you seem to know so much about my family and I, how about you go ahead and enlighten me on whoever you think we are." Mac said with a smug look of her own.

  "The power you possess is not something that can be given through words. It is something learned and experienced. It is something the earth shares with you. It can only be taught and not freely given by word of mouth. There is no abracadabra alakazam here. This is true power, not fairy tale witchery."

  "And I suppose you just so happen to be the one person who wants to teach me how to use all this magic I apparently possess?" Mac frowned at him.

  "As a matter of fact, no. Not at all. You are one of the most stubborn people I have ever met in my life. You have literally seen the Forest come to life and help you, yet you deny the fact that it has happened. You think some magical Ent is watching over you. I'm sorry, but I don't think you are capable at all in grasping your own power."

  "And that's what I expected from someone of your demeanor. All talk and no action. You spin a good tale, but the story makes no sense." Mac smiled and started to leave again.

  "Fine." Devin said. "You want to learn how to use you powers and you want me to show you. Fine. Come and stand next to the apple."

  "What?" Mac looked surprised at his request.

  "You want a lesson, then I will give you a lesson. Come stand next to the apple." Mac looked at the apple reluctantly, but slowly stepped next to it and looked at Devin.

  "All right, now what?"

  "Now you watch the apple." Mac looked down and saw the apple get swallowed up by the earth. Her eyes widened with amazement.

  "What did I just do?" She looked at Devin still wide eyed. The ground shook slightly and a large tree trunk broke free from the earth intertwining Mac within it. The tree grew all around her arms, legs, and torso. She literally found herself trapped in the body of the tree. Her face was full of the look of shock as she struggled to move yet couldn't. "How did I do this?" She said looking back to Devin.

  "You didn't." He said with a smile. "This is what I did and if it is something you want to survive, then you are going to want to learn really quick how to get out of it." Devin turned and started back into the woods.

  "Wait!" Mac yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I need you to get me out of this tree!" She yelled and flailed, but it was no use, she couldn't get free and Devin was already gone. She tried reaching her gadgets, but failed. The tree held her too tight; fear and panic began setting in.

  Mac scraped at the tree with her finger nails, but the tree moved away defending itself from her attacks. She flailed and shook to try and wiggle her way out of the tree. Again, the tree repositioned itself and held her where she was. Looking around she saw nothing that would help her in the current predicament she was in.

  "Just let me go, stupid tree!" Mac yelled flailing more. "Give me your magic so I can get free." The tree tightened slightly, but did not give her any power.

  Minutes passed, then hours. Blood ran from chafed wrists and ankles. The struggling took her breath and lack of food brought the now familiar dizzy weakness she had been used to since being brought to these lands, but she didn't give up.

  I'm going to kill that man when I get out of here. Mac thought to herself as she pulled her arms in hopes the trickles of blood would make the wood slick enough to allow her to pull free. Still nothing. A fog began to roll in from the bog. The smell of rank composted gree
ns came stronger, and an ominous silence fell over the area with all the wildlife fleeing. Mac stared into the fog waiting, knowing something was coming. Still there was silence and the smell of rot. Then it came.

  A loud thump and crunching grass broke the silence, then more, and more. The smell became immensely potent as whatever was coming for Mac moved closer. Mac shook staring into the fog. Then what looked like a mound of mud and vegetation stopped on the edge of the bog. It stared at her through black hollow eyes. The beast was no less than eight feet tall and radiated cold to the area.

  "My dear God." Mac mumbled, lips shaking. She began pulling harder trying to free herself from the tree's grasp. Still nothing. Bugs fell from the bog beast dropping to the ground and scurrying away, but it didn't move, only stared. The forest shuddered before Mac's eyes then came back into clarity. She looked from the beast then back to the tree and back. The beast stepped closer before again stopping and staring at her with an almost infant’s curiosity, its head ever so slightly cocked to the side. Then the forest shimmered a second time. Mac closed her eyes before she threw up. She calmed slightly knowing there was nothing left she could do. She just breathed and thought of her father's face.

  If you’re out there somewhere, dad, now is the time. Now is when I need you the most. She thought in desperation. Nothing. She let out a long sigh. Please, please give me my freedom from this trap. The tree sprung to life and dropped her to the ground. She just lay there for several seconds staring at the place she was trapped which was now just a normal looking apple tree. Mac rolled over and looked to the beast. It was gone. She shook her head and scanned the bog's edge. There was nothing. The beast was just gone. Not wanting to find out where it went, Mac dug her fingers into the ground and pulled herself into a sprint heading in the same direction that she had seen Devin head earlier.

  Mac ran full tilt until a glow showed itself through the thick tuft of trees. She slowed until at the very edge and looked to find the fire's owner. Devin sat on a log pulling large chunks of roasted meat off a bone with his teeth. Mac marched into the camp straight at him.

  "See, I knew you would be able to find your powers with the right motivation." He looked up at Mac with a smile across his face. Mac didn't slow in her approach, she instead sped up last minute and swung out catching him in the jaw and sending him off balance and to the ground with a thud. His face darkened and the wind became cold for a split second before everything went back to normal and he started to laugh uncontrollably like a mad man. "Well, I do suppose I deserved that now didn't I."

  "You deserve more than that." Mac said and leapt forward to strike him a second time. Devin stopped laughing and flicked a finger gently towards her. A short yet strong gust of wind hit her hard and sent her through the air then slammed her to the ground. Tree roots broke free from the ground and wrapped themselves around Mac's arms and legs pulling her firm to the ground. Mac panicked from the feel of the restraints once again holding her against her will. Tears streamed from her eyes and she screamed at Devin to let her free while flailing and trying to escape.

  The restraints immediately released her and brought themselves back into the ground. Mac rolled up into a ball and sobbed shaking, stomach knotted, and unable to catch her breath. She waited for the cutting and prodding to start again, the broken bones and sadistic laughs.

  Devin ran to her side wrapping her up in his muscular arms and rocking her. "It's all right, Mac. You're safe." His tone was warm and comforting. He was patient and held her as if she were a child. "I have you, Mac." He continued to repeat the words.

  Mac continued to relive her experience with the duchess before snapping back to her dreams where the stalker chased her, dumped her into a pit, and killed her father. Then back to the doctor who tore her ribs from her spine. Her body shook violently and she gasped for breaths of air. Devin's voice was a whisper in the distance.

  "Calm, Mac, calm." The air warmed around them and the feeling of comfort and safety started to break through the fear. "Breathe, you're safe. I have you." Devin rocked back and forth repeating himself. Minutes passed and Devin's magic calmed her enough to regain control over her emotions. She simply lay in Devin's arms exhausted.

  After a couple, more minutes Devin released her and placed some cuts of the roasted venison on a plate. He grabbed a skin of wine and knelt in front of Mac offering her the provisions. She sat with her head resting on her knees, arms wrapped around them. She rocked back and forth still visibly shaken.

  "Would you like to talk about it?" Devin said softly laying his hand on her head and running his fingers through her hair. She did want to talk about it, but who could possibly understand the torment and torture done to her. Who could understand the amounts of pain brought to her? Who could understand the emotional wreckage inflected on a young girl; having to lose a father so young, knowing it was her fault and no one else. She was the one who went to play in the woods alone. She was the one who gave up her powers because of it. Who could possibly understand the pain she has inflected on herself as well as the pain inflected on her.

  "I can." Devin said snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him and saw his bright blue eyes looking into her. She stared back with red eyes, a snot filled nose, and a face moistened with tears.

  "H... How did you know what I was thinking?" Mac said slowly examining his face and looking for the truth.

  "My mother was able to read the thoughts of people depending on their emotional state. It was a gift I acquired from her. Your emotions hit me full force, and there was no way I could not hear what you were thinking. That much emotion floods the area with your thoughts."

  "So you can just tell what someone is thinking?" Mac asked sniffling and trying to understand.

  "If a person is emotionally compromised, then yes, I can read their thoughts. Unfortunately, most people are emotionally compromised in some way or another all the time. I have had to learn to ignore them to the best of my abilities. And don't worry, I don't just run around prying into the thoughts of others for no reason."

  Mac thought about some of the strange people she had met in the past from her own world, then she thought about the people she had met here. A chill ran over her thinking about what must be going through the duke and duchess head. What it would be like to wander through Undercity with that ability. The crazed thieves and city rejects hiding within their own minds hoping no one will take notice of them. It was no wonder Devin would not follow Mac into the city when he first brought her there.

  "I can imagine finding yourself in the minds of others could quite literally drive you crazy." Mac said.

  "You have no idea." Devin replied looking away from her. "The world is a different place when you are able to see it through the eyes of its inhabitants. Everyone has their love and loss. They have their joys and pains. They have their great achievements and biggest failures. Unfortunately, humans dwell on the negatives. They think about all the wrongs in their lives instead of noticing the light shining on them. This is what I see when I read a person’s thoughts. I see the anguish in everyone around me. I'm afraid if I had not learned to control the readings early on, I would've chosen a permanent darkness rather than live the life I have chosen."

  Mac hunched forward picking at her food and thinking about how she always wanted to be able to read someone else's thoughts. She thought about what it would be like to know everything about everyone around her. She thought about how she never considered the ramifications of her wants.

  "You should finish that since we need to get out of here. The bog is too close and it simply isn't as safe here as I would prefer.” Devin started packing up what few items he had and readied himself for the journey.

  Mac thought about the pile of mud and leaves that watched her at the bogs edge. She thought about its hollow black eyes staring at her and the look of curiosity it seemed to radiate onto her. The thought of its rancid smell and bugs falling from its body made her upper lip curl.

  "Wait, are y
ou saying you were almost attacked by something in the bog back there?" Devin looked at her wide eyed. "You came face to face with a bog beast?"

  "You mean the big muddy pile of sticks and filth? Yea. It was watching me try to escape the tree you left me in."

  "We need to leave, now." Devin said with authority. He moved quickly to gather the rest of the items in the area and snuff out the fire. Quicker than she had expected he reached down, grabbed her by the arm, and started pulling her deeper into the woods. The moon illuminated the way through the trees.

  "What's going on? Why are you pulling on me?" Mac said while stumbling as Devin jerked on her arm.

  "We can discuss the danger once we are safe, but for now we just need to get as far from the bog as possible." He looked around and moved silently as he went. Mac sounded like a herd of buffalo stomping through the forest. "We need to stay as quiet as possible. I am not sure why they haven't attacked yet, but we are far from safe around here."

  "Why? Who hasn't attacked us yet; the bog beast?" Mac continued to stomp while being pulled. "Why would the bog bests want anything to do with us?"

  "Just come on." Devin snapped as they hurried deeper into the woods. Devin used his magic to dampen the thrashing and crashing noises coming from Mac. After a while Mac noticed the trees thicken like at the tree village her sister had taken her to. The forest thickened enough to where Mac wasn't sure if they would be able to go any further. Then the trees parted and they entered a plot of land that was at least several acres and void of trees. Devin finally released Mac and a look of calm came over him.

  Mac looked around the area in awe. The vision was right out of a Kinkade painting. A tiny stone house sat off to one side and a small pond on the other. There was even a well to match the house. For the first time since arriving in this world, Mac felt comfortable in this place.

  She moved slowly towards the home trying to take in every little detail of this place. The split logs next to the house gave off the scent of fresh pine and the grass was spotted with dandelions. Every now and then Mac could see the fish catching bugs on top of the water. Best of all, the sun had begun to peek over the trees and illuminate everything in an orange glow. She couldn't help but think if there was a library of books inside, she would stay here forever.